US podcast advertising revenue hit $2,862.2 million in 2025, up 17.6% year over year, according to the IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report published in April 2026. Reach records landed alongside it: 130 million Americans age 12 and older consumed a podcast in the week before Edison Research fielded its January 2026 survey. This post covers audience size, ad revenue, platform share, video versus audio, and listening time.
Podcast Statistics 2026 At A Glance
How Many People Listen To Podcasts In 2026?
Edison Research put monthly podcast consumption at 58% of Americans age 12 and older in The Infinite Dial 2026, a national survey of 2,050 people fielded in January 2026. That works out to an estimated 167 million people, up from 158 million a year earlier.
Weekly consumption reached 45%, or 130 million. One definitional note matters for any trend read: figures through 2024 count listening to a podcast, while 2025 and 2026 count listening to or watching one.
| Podcast consumption, US 12+ | 2025 | 2026 | 2026 share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ever consumed | 210 million | 230 million | 80% |
| Consumed in last month | 158 million | 167 million | 58% |
| Consumed in last week | 115 million | 130 million | 45% |
Source: Edison Research at SSRS, The Podcast Consumer 2026 and The Infinite Dial 2026, survey fielded January 2026
Podcast Statistics By Age And Gender
The 35-54 bracket now leads. In 2026, 68% of that group consumed a podcast in the past month, ahead of 64% among 12-34s.
Listeners 55 and older account for the steepest climb in the series, from 21% in 2023 to 44% in 2026. Men reported 62% monthly consumption against 54% for women.
| Monthly consumption, US 12+ | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 12-34 | 55% | 59% | 66% | 64% |
| Age 35-54 | 51% | 55% | 61% | 68% |
| Age 55+ | 21% | 27% | 38% | 44% |
| Men | 46% | 48% | 57% | 62% |
| Women | 39% | 45% | 52% | 54% |
Source: Edison Research at SSRS, The Podcast Consumer 2026; 2023-2024 measure listening, 2025-2026 measure listening or watching
Podcast Advertising Revenue Statistics 2026
US podcast advertising revenue reached $2,862.2 million in 2025, per IAB and PwC. The category has grown every year since 2015, when it booked $105.7 million.
Annual growth has cooled from 86% in 2017 and 72% in 2021 to 18% in 2025. The shift that first turned podcast placements into an ad marketplace is now a decade old, and the numbers read like a maturing channel rather than a new one.
Digital audio, which IAB defines as podcasts plus streaming music and streaming radio, rose 10.2% to $8.4 billion in 2025. IAB adds that its podcast total reflects the traditional audio-based definition of a podcast.
Podcast advertising grew faster in 2025 than search, display and digital audio overall, and slower than digital video and social media. For context on how the paid-click side of that market prices out, see these cost-per-click and search ad benchmarks.
Source: IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report, full-year 2025, published April 2026
The report also flags creator advertising spend, projected at $44 billion in 2026 in IAB’s 2025 Creator Economy Ad Spend and Strategy Report, as brands move creators into long-term media plans.
Which Podcast Services Do Listeners Use Most?
YouTube is the service US weekly podcast consumers name most often. It took 37% in Q1 2026, against 21% for Spotify and 12% for Apple Podcasts.
Spotify led this ranking in 2024 at 28%. The combined “other services” bucket holds 30%, more than Spotify and Apple Podcasts together.
| Service used most, weekly consumers 13+ | 2024 | 2025 | Q1 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 31% | 36% | 37% |
| Spotify | 28% | 22% | 21% |
| Apple Podcasts | 14% | 13% | 12% |
| Other services | 27% | 29% | 30% |
Source: Edison Podcast Metrics, US weekly podcast consumers age 13+, 2024 to Q1 2026
Top podcast topics
Comedy leads the topic ranking, followed by true crime and politics. Narrower genre shows, including gaming and pop-culture podcasts, sit outside the top ten in the long tail.
| Rank | Topic | Rank | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Comedy | 6 | News/Information |
| 2 | True Crime | 7 | Music |
| 3 | Politics | 8 | History |
| 4 | Entertainment/Celebrity/Gossip | 9 | Mystery/Thriller |
| 5 | Sports | 10 | Wellness/Self-Improvement |
Source: Edison Podcast Metrics, US weekly podcast consumers age 13+, Q1 2026
Video Podcast Statistics 2026: Watching Versus Listening
Video overtook audio-only for the first time in Q3 2025. That quarter, 82% of US weekly podcast consumers said they actively watch video podcasts while listening, against 78% who consume audio only.
Q1 2026 flipped the order back, with audio-only at 80% and video at 76%. Respondents can report both behaviours, so the two figures do not sum to 100%.
Source: Edison Podcast Metrics, US weekly podcast consumers age 13+, 2023 to Q1 2026
Across the whole US 12+ population, 57% have both listened to and watched a podcast, 21% have only listened, and 2% have only watched. Edison vice president Megan Lazovick describes podcasting as a dual-format medium on that evidence. The same crossover is visible in connected TV and streaming viewership data.
Podcast Listening Time Statistics 2026
US daily podcast consumers age 13 and older spent 5 hours 11 minutes a day with all audio sources in Q1 2026, per Edison’s Share of Ear. The total 13+ population spent 3 hours 57 minutes.
Podcasts take 36% of that heavy group’s daily audio time and 51% of their daily ad-supported audio time. Spoken-word habits track a similar pattern in audiobook listener and revenue data.
| Share of Ear, Q1 2026 | All listeners 13+ | Daily podcast listeners 13+ |
|---|---|---|
| Daily time, all audio sources | 3 hrs 57 mins | 5 hrs 11 mins |
| Podcast share of daily audio time | 10% | 36% |
| Podcast share of ad-supported audio time | 16% | 51% |
Source: Edison Research at SSRS, Share of Ear, Q1 2026
Location has shifted too. Two-thirds of weekly podcast consumers listen most often at home in Q1 2026, up from 61% in 2024 and 64% in 2025.
Podcast Statistics On Paying Listeners And AI
21% of US weekly podcast consumers age 13 and older gave money to support a podcast in the 12 months to Q1 2026. Among those who paid, 47% supported a host or other individual and 36% bought a membership for exclusive content.
On advertising, 76% said they took an action after hearing a podcast ad, counting website visits, promo code use, purchases and recommendations.
Attitudes to generative AI split sharply by task. Research and idea generation draw 69% approval each, while an AI-generated voice hosting a show draws 25%. Broader adoption figures sit in this generative AI market breakdown.
Concern runs alongside that. 62% of weekly podcast consumers call AI very much or somewhat a threat to podcast credibility, 59% say the same about creativity, and 57% about quality. Spending on the technology keeps climbing regardless, as this AI market share by company data shows.
Source: Edison Research at SSRS, The Podcast Consumer 2026; approval and threat data Q1 2026, payment data Q2 2025-Q1 2026
FAQs
How many people listen to podcasts in 2026?
167 million Americans age 12 and older consumed a podcast in the past month, or 58%, and 130 million did so weekly, or 45%. Source: Edison Research, Infinite Dial 2026, fielded January 2026.
How much is US podcast advertising worth?
US podcast advertising revenue was $2,862.2 million in 2025, up 17.6% on 2024. The wider digital audio category, covering podcasts plus streaming music and radio, reached $8.4 billion. Source: IAB/PwC, full-year 2025.
Which podcast platform is used most?
YouTube. In Q1 2026, 37% of US weekly podcast consumers named it the service they use most, ahead of Spotify at 21% and Apple Podcasts at 12%. Other services took the remaining 30%.
Are the podcast statistics posted on Reddit reliable?
Reddit threads often recycle undated figures. Check primary releases instead: Edison Research publishes US reach data each March, and IAB with PwC publishes podcast ad revenue each April. The current monthly reach figure is 58%.
Do podcast listeners pay for shows?
Some do. 21% of US weekly podcast consumers age 13 and older gave money to support a podcast in the year to Q1 2026. Of those, 36% paid for membership access to exclusive content.
Sources
https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-infinite-dial-2026/
https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-podcast-consumer-2026/
https://www.iab.com/insights/internet-advertising-revenue-report-full-year-2025/
https://www.iab.com/news/digital-ad-revenue-climbs-to-nearly-300b-as-iab-celebrates-30-year-anniversary/
